Melting The Heart Of Ice
by Hiei-Riku-RubedoFAN
Summary: Challenge Fic from Freakyanimegal456. Centered around Chala. Did you ever wonder if she ever got lost in her own mind? Well, maybe she does and here's what happens. Even Chala needs some time to think.
1. Melting the Heart of Ice

_**Alright! This story is a result of a challenge from Freakyanimegal456!**_

_**She said that she wanted someone to do a fanfic of some of her OCs so I decided what the heck? I'm going to try it out and hope that I don't jack up the characters too much. So all the characters in this fic belong to Freaky and the game belongs to Namco. No one sue me! So on to the situation.**_

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_**Chala lately has been having some serious thoughts that are causing her some deep internal conflict. She doesn't want anyone to see her weak and confused so she leaves for a small trip. She's been gone a few days and still hasn't figured out what's wrong. No one knows where she is and that's how she wants it. Or is it?**_

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_**Melting the Heart of Ice**_

Her footsteps were rhythmic and steady. Thump, thump, thump, thump. They never changed their pace and the dull sound against the ground never changed either. Her thoughts were drawn deep into her mind and her posture was slumped in defeat. Her hands limply swayed at her sides as she moved and her eyes were downcast. Even though her eyes were trained on the ground before her, she could not see any of it. It was a miracle she hadn't tripped, but it seemed her fantastic abilities had kicked in and took up the slack for her lack of awareness. She navigated the trail with an elegant grace that was far from human, but not as soft as an elf's. It was somewhere in between.

She suddenly stopped and snapped out of her trance. Her piercing eyes scanned the forest around her and a few stray strands of blue hair fell into her blue-grey eyes. Why had she fazed out so far that she hadn't even realized where she was walking?! Now, around her were dark clumps of trees and above her was a tightly knit canopy of leaves. The trail was lost from her sight and night seemed to be fading down on the half-elf. Where had she wondered to?

Chala wasn't one to be afraid. She was strong, cold, and distant. She was the perfect fighter. She had no one to be used against her and no one to possibly betray her. Any other fighter would admire her. She had kept herself out of reach. Chala counted on herself and relied on no one else. It was her greatest strength.

But………lately it had been her greatest weakness.

Where was the person SHE needed to be there? Whose shoulder could SHE cry on? Who even cared about what happened to her? Where were her supposed 'friends'? She had been gone for a few days now. Were they even looking for her? Why should they? Why would they? She was nothing but a cold hearted bitch. Chala had been told so many times before. It was nothing new to her.

But it still hurt.

The half-elf was no ordinary half-elf. She was an angel. She was strong and she could cast some of the most difficult spells with ease, but she couldn't make the words stop hurting. The heart she had covered in ice still ached. The mask she often wore fell apart and she couldn't understand what she had done. She couldn't have deserved all this? Could she?

Now, Chala stood in the middle of the clearing and looked up at the sky that peeked through the blanket of leaves. Drops of water fell in beautiful crystals and surrounded the lost female. Soon, he clothes were completely drenched and her skin began to wrinkle beneath her clinging clothes. Oddly enough, the half-elf didn't seem to notice. Instead she closed her eyes and lifted her face up to let the rain splash across her face. She felt the drops splash against her smooth skin and let them drain off her face into the pool below her. It was like the sky was lost, feeling everything Chala was. The only thing that seemed to understand was crying for her.

"What should I do?" Chala wondered slowly opening her eyes. She had long since lost the ability to cry. It was something she banished deep within her. It wasn't an option for her anymore, and she knew that she had made it that way. She was ok with that.

"…_running……you're running,"_ a soft whisper echoed through her head. She sighed. She had to admit she was, but…it was comforting. When she was alone she no longer had to face the looks of pity from those around her. She didn't worry her parents as much.

Her parents……

What had they done to deserve her? They were two great people and they got _her_ as their daughter. They didn't deserve that. Raine and Yuan deserved a daughter who was able to love and be loved. They deserved a daughter who laughed, who cried, who played, who loved, and a daughter who could be embraced. Chala was none of that. She didn't deserve them and they deserved better.

"Maybe……maybe I shouldn't go back," Chala wondered as she turned back the way she came. Yet, as soon as she started to move, she stopped. No one knew where she was. She didn't even know if they were looking for her, "Maybe……I should just keep walking."

Chala turned around again and this time bolted off into the woods. She never looked back and just kept running forward…until her foot slipped.

"YAGH!" Chala screeched in surprise as she tilted sideways on the paths and lost her balance. She was quickly thrown down the steep hill of mud and erosion. She spun side ways down the hill and eventually turned to fall head over heels. Chala's hands shot out in an attempt to catch herself but everything slipped through her muddy hands and she slammed into the ground covered in stones. She cracked her head on a decent size rock and lied there on the ground in a daze. Her head had landed beside a small creek and her beautiful blue hair matted in dark mud flowed all around her in the water. Chala stared blankly ahead of her as she noticed a steady stream of crimson flow down her face and run off her cheek.

"…damn…" Chala muttered as her eyes closed.

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"Daddy! Is this right?!" a young half-elven girl around five held up a ball of concentrated mana. Her father whose hair greatly resembled hers nodded with pride and came up behind the young girl.

"Now, release it towards that target," her father said showing her where to aim.

"Got it," she nodded happily. She released the attack and hit a dead bull's-eye.

"Good job, Chala!" her father said sweeping up the young girl and throwing her into the air causing her to giggle in excitement.

"Thank you daddy!"

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"What are you doing mother?" a fourteen-year-old Chala asked as she moved into the kitchen.

"I'm trying to make this cake. Its so far the only food I haven't managed to destroy, but it won't set right," her mother answered sweeping something off the kitchen table into the drawer and closing it. Suspicion washed over Chala, but she dismissed it and moved forward to see her mother's problem.

"You set it in wrong. Here," Chala quickly switched it around and closed the oven, "It should set right now."

"Thank you!" her mother smiled appreciatively. Chala hadn't expected that a day later that cake would be decorated for her fifteenth birthday.

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An eleven-year-old Chala jumped and put down the book that was in her hand. Her uncle had rushed into the library and slammed the door behind him. He looked around in desperateness and quickly caught sight of Chala. He ran over to her and quickly said, "Where have you been? Your mother and father are going ballistic."

"I said I was going to read," Chala sniffed reaching for her book. She was however stopped as her uncle took her into a hug.

"We've been worried about you. Don't do that again," he whispered as he released the girl.

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Worried.

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"CHALA! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"BLUE! COME ON ANSWER US!"

"COUSIN CHALA!"

The three voices echoed around the female's head causing her to snap back to reality. She was still lying halfway in the creek and it was pouring down rain. Chala opened her eyes slowly and saw three pairs of shoes dashing towards her. Still thinking that she was in her mind Chala closed her eyes and began to fade again.

"Chala! If you don't open your eyes, I swear!" a voice hissed sounding somewhat frantic. It was familiar……Cheresea?

"Come on blue. Wake up," another voice said sounding worried. Was that Trethe?

"Oh man! Aunt Raine's gonna kill if she doesn't wake up!" a whiny voice sniffled beside her. That was definitely Jeremy.

"That's it!" SMACK!

Chala's eyes flashed open and she looked up murderously to see Cheresea drawing back her hand as if she was burned.

"Good, your up," she chirped sounding much like her golden-haired mother.

"What of it?" Chala hissed as she slowly sat up and wiped the mud from her form.

"Don't give us that, blue. We we're really worried about you. We thought something bad happened to you," Trethe said looking at her seriously. Chala froze and stared at him. He meant it and he was daring her to challenge that. Chala couldn't believe it. They actually cared.

"Don't scare us like that again!" Jeremy sighed wiping something out of the corners of his eyes.

"Everyone's out looking for you. When you didn't come back, we all began looking. Don't go off and not tell us like that. You have no idea how freaked we were," Cheresea said handing Chala a coat to wrap around her.

"What are you talking about? Chala can take care of herself. I wasn't freaked out," Trethe sniffed scratching the end of his nose in dismissal.

"Oh yeah and that's why you were one of the first ones out of the house when Yuan said he found Chala's discarded weapon outside," Cheresea smirked as she helped the half-elven female to her feet.

"…I want to go home…" Chala whispered looking down at the ground. Cheresea, Trethe, and Jeremy looked at one another before deciding against saying anything about it. The four began walking back to their homes. Chala leaned against Trethe and Cheresea and allowed them to lead her home. She closed her eyes and whispered, "Thanks you guys."

This time the three threw smiles at one another and answered in unison, "No problem."

Something within Chala warmed. She had friends who cared. She had family who cared. And better yet, she had somewhere to return to where she was wanted. She felt……warm.

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_If Chala seems more moody than normal, I apologize. I'm actually projecting my thoughts through Chala. Everything she thinks I've thought. So yeah……maybe I'm off in her character. If I am, I apologize._

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_**Well, there you go Freakyanimegal456. I hope you liked it. Also I have a few more ideas so I could turn this into a series of one-shots if you'd like. It's your choice considering it is your characters.**_

_**Also to other readers! I hope this was nothing that would shame Grandkid or Tasks of a Spirit. Please Review and tell me what you think! I hoped you all liked it! Oh and if you think its good, but could used some tweaking tell me! I'll happily rewrite it until it's better!**_


	2. To Dance or Not What a Question

_**Well, a lot of people like the story I wrote for Freaky and I've been asked if I could continue a bit more. Freaky gave the ok, so I say sure!**_

_**Hello Fellow Fanfic Peoples! I was planning on updating a while back, but got caught up in my own stories. So, I was going to put this on hold for a little while longer, but this update is going to be a birthday for Freaky! So without further adieu here is a birthday present from me, the TOS characters, and the characters you've created that love you so much!**_

_**(All of them appear and stand behind me as we pull out a huge cake.) Happy Birthday Freaky! Love from another fanfiction fanatic!**_

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_**To Dance or Not. What a Question.**_

Silence. It was something Chala enjoyed hearing when she was wrapped in a book she wanted to read. It had been a while since the half-elf could really lounge back with a good book to read without being interrupted by some force of annoyance or another. Her father was preoccupied with a disaster at his base, her mother was occupied with researching something or other-she had to admit she wasn't listening, and every other person, family or not, was otherwise doing something that would occupy their attention for hours on end. She was finally all alone in a comfortable chair and had a good book resting on her lap. It was a good thing the people in Sybak allowed her to use the library privately whenever she wanted to. There was absolutely no way any of them would walk in on her and disturb her reading. She was in a place of peace and the mood around the room was one that suited her while she wanted to read. The temperature wasn't one where she would have to move to get herself comfortable again and there was a light-hearted feeling that calmed her. It was all perfect.

"Finally," she said in a breath as she reached back and flicked the light to shine on her lap where the book lied. She nestled herself into the comfortable chair and opened the book to the page she last left off on.

It was exactly what Chala wanted. Her mind soon became wrapped in the eloquent words of the author and images flew through her head. They danced through her mind and her eyes instantly went far off in her own mind. She began to drift away to her own little world where the words of the author would make her think of things to set her mind at ease and she nestled deeper into the fluffed cushions of her chair. The details were amazing and each page of the book brought a clear vision to her head. She could hear each sound, see each image, and truly felt as if she had been spirited away to a new world. The things her mind saw was crystal clear and Chala wanted nothing more than to sit there for the rest of the day to finish her good book. It was rare to find a storyteller so good at their art that they could magically ensnare one such as Chala and she was willing to let the story keep her attention until the very end.

Of course, when did Chala ever get time to finish a good book when she really wanted to?

BANG! BANG! BANG!

She couldn't help but give a small flinch at the sound. Her eyes instantly narrowed dangerously at the door across from her and the glare she was giving threatened to set the inanimate object on fire. Any of her friends or family would've retreated at the mere look and Chala was more than good at making it look even more dangerous than she already could. The annoying banging continued and Chala's nails unconsciously dug into the cover of the book. It would've been enough for the person to take the hint that they were interrupting something, but it was no ordinary person behind the banging. No, it was a certain auburn haired girl with bright blue eyes that Chala knew all too well.

"Chala?! Are you in there? I need to talk to you, please!" Cheresea's voice came from the other side. Chala's ear twitched slightly and she growled under her breath. What could that girl possibly want now? The banging persisted and the blue-eyed girl called, "Come on, Chala! I know you're in there!"

"Fine! Stop banging the door and I'll be there in a minute!" the blue-haired half-elf snapped effectively silencing the thundering on the door. Officially in an annoyed mood, Chala slowly slid to her feet and placed the book down in a way it would hold her place without damaging the book. She thought about leaving the back way out of the library for half a second, but quickly decided against it. She might as well find out what the female swordsman wanted before she exploded. That didn't mean she hurried over to the door though. Oh no. That wasn't like Chala. She took her sweet time and didn't even unlock the door when she got to it. The blue-haired magic user crossed her arms and said, "What do you want?"

"Please let me in. I need to talk to you," Cheresea said in a small voice that Chala thought sounded strange. What was that tone? Was it fear? Was it sadness? Was it confusion? No, those weren't it. It didn't sound like those from the memories Chala could pull from her mind. She thought harder to find out what it was.

Was it embarrassment? Chala's lips turned to a smug little smirk and she realized that she just hit the nail on the head with that choice. The only time she heard Cheresea use that EXACT tone of voice was when she was embarrassed and that was a tone only reserved when a certain Shinobi named, Trethe, was involved. She leaned against the door and said, "I'm busy, Cheresea. What could you possibly have to say that would interrupt my work?"

"I really need your help…REALLY badly," Cheresea muttered in a voice that sounded like she couldn't believe she was saying it. It was enough that Chala relented and unlocked the door to pull it open. There stood Cheresea and the way she looked automatically set off a red flag for Chala. Oh, there was something definitely going on now and she couldn't help but feel curious about it.

Her hair was freshly washed and brushed back into a cute little hairstyle that kept it out of her face. It shone beautifully in the right light and called attention to Cheresea's face and bright blue eyes. She wasn't exactly wearing a dress, but was wearing more like a long pretty sky-blue shirt that cut in half over her legs and showed she had a nice pair of shorts under it that made the outfit have its own style that Chala had to admit wasn't bad. It sure as hell wasn't something someone would wear if they were going to fight, but it wasn't the classiest thing either. It suited Cheresea well and brought out her natural features. Something that gave the girl a mature cute look that was almost impossible to get one way or another.

"What's with that get-up?" Chala asked stepping aside and allowing her into the room. Cheresea was inside in a second and Chala closed the door quietly to continue, "I don't remember any parties or anything today."

"Well…don't laugh…but Trethe, Sari, me, and a few others are going to a place in Meltokio that Trethe wanted to show to us. The thing is…I don't know…how to dance…" Cheresea's face burned red at that point and she looked down. Chala's smirk intensified, but she managed to hide it as she looked at the younger female.

"Is there a point?" Chala asked feeling slightly curious and annoyed at the same time. Why did she always have to have friends that were so clingy? Why was Cheresea asking to talk to her anyway? Last Chala checked, she wasn't the one anyone would naturally go to for help.

"Wouldyouhelpmelearnhowtodance?!" Cheresea said in an insane rush that almost sounded as if she were trying to say a tongue-twister and couldn't. Chala was caught a little off guard and stared at Cheresea for a moment as if she were insane. The auburn-haired girl took another breath and said in a slower voice, "Would you help me learn how to dance, Chala? Please?"

"Why…would I do that?" Chala asked looking at her and then turning away. She began to walk back to the chair she was sitting in and set her eyes back on the book.

"Please, Chala! I need some help and I know you can help me!" Cheresea ran up to her and gave her a pleading look. The trap was set and Chala had just been pulled in. Almost no one could say no to that look when Cheresea gave it to them.

"Ok, whatever! Just leave as soon as we're done and let me read my book!" Chala snapped in annoyance and looked away from the look she was getting. It irritated her when Cheresea made that face and she didn't want to see it. More than anything, Chala was beginning to wish she had just ignored the female to read her book.

"Thank you so much!" Cheresea began to gush acting a little like her mother. Chala immediately silenced that and they set to work. First the two moved all the tables, chairs, and other furniture out of the way so they would have a clear space to work. After that was done, Chala turned on her friend and asked the question of doom.

"So, do you know how to dance at all? Anything?" Chala asked crossing her arms and looking over the sword user. The half-elf had a sinking feeling that the girl had two left feet and she'd be stuck helping her all the way up to the time she had to leave to meet the others.

"Nothing at all," was the blunt reply that confirmed Chala's thoughts. The poor girls instantly thought that they were really dealing with the wrong people. Chala needed someone who had some idea as to what the hell they were doing and Cheresea needed someone who was just a little more sensitive as to what she was thinking. Either way it went though, they had to be with one another and there was no going back now. That was something they could each agree to.

"Fine…I guess we're going to have to go for the basics. Listen closely because I don't plan on repeating any of it. If you get lost, tough. Deal with it on your own time," Chala sniffed as she began to think of a good place to start.

"Thank you, Chala," Cheresea said one more time causing Chala to shake her head. The half-elf finally found a good place to start and instantly began her lesson.

It wasn't nearly as bad as either of them had thought it would be. In fact, even by Chala's standards, it might have been…fun. Cheresea listened to Chala's every word intently and tried to follow the instructions she was given to the very last detail. Of course, she was truly Colette's daughter and would trip at the most inopportune moments. She would get up as soon as she possibly could and was instantly ready to do whatever Chala told her to.

At one point, however, Cheresea had managed to pull off a move that almost impressed even Chala until she toppled over and crashed into the half-elf. This effectively knocked both of them off their feet and sent them sprawling onto the floor. Sticking true to her mother's nature, the auburn-haired girl began apologizing over and over and over again. She was instantly on her feet and held out her hands to help Chala up, apologizing all the while.

Chala on the other hand felt something tickling the back of her throat. She couldn't explain it, but the feeling ran through her and made something warm flow inside her. Before she knew what was happening, the half-elf was laughing. It was a genuine laugh that hadn't come to her in a while. She lied on the ground for a few minutes laughing at what happened until she felt herself slowly calm down. Cheresea had no idea how to react and waited for Chala to get to her feet and for the lesson to continue.

The rest of their time together went without incident and Cheresea had made some decent progress. She bid the half-elf goodbye at the time she was supposed to leave-though she tried to convince Chala into coming and the half-elf flat out refused-and Chala soon found herself standing alone in the library once again. She quietly put everything back as it was before Cheresea had come into the room. Then she made her way back to the chair she was in and picked up the book once again.

"Maybe this time I'll get more than ten pages into it before being interrupted," Chala muttered grudgingly as she opened it and found where she had left off. She was soon recaptured in the magic of the words on the pages and forgot about everything she had just gone through. A world not her own engulfed her and the half-elf sat completely still for hours only moving to turn the pages and breathe.

She was deep into the middle of the book and she hadn't even noticed how late it had gotten. Inside she realized that she would have to be heading home soon, but she couldn't tear herself away from the story. She was just too far in and she could easily finish it off in a matter of a few more minutes. So she remained sitting in her chair and flicked through the few pages she had left. The conclusion drew near and she finally placed the book down with a satisfied thud. She was content to finish the book and make her way home. So, she was on her feet and heading toward the door to the library when it suddenly crashed open.

"What the-" Chala muttered seeing an auburn colored blur shooting at her. She wasn't able to move in time before a pair of arms wrapped around her in a friendly embrace and was squeezing her in gratitude.

"Thank you so much, Chala! Your lesson really helped me at the party and I can't thank you enough! Even Trethe was impressed and so was Sari. All of them kept giving me compliments!" Cheresea gushed in happiness. She looked up at Chala with her bright blue eyes and continued, "It was all because you helped. Thank you so much!"

Chala couldn't help but give a small smile back. This one girl managed to defy every rule and fact Chala had set for herself. She just couldn't always stay a cold, defensive person anymore when this simple girl would come around. Chala couldn't understand it, but in all honesty she didn't exactly try to figure it out. She couldn't help but enjoy the feeling sometimes and being like every other living being wanted to enjoy it to some degree no matter how small. So she shook her head at Cheresea and muttered, "Stop making a big deal out of nothing. Anyway we should be getting home. It's late."

"You're right. Let's get going," Cheresea smiled letting the half-elf go. They began making their way out of the library together and Chala couldn't help but smile.

"Annoying twit," Chala muttered to herself quietly enough that Cheresea wouldn't hear. In all honesty that's how she felt, but she wasn't exactly complaining about it. She sometimes liked it when Cheresea was around. There was always something new bound to happen. Including, new emotions the half-elf thought has long since past. Specifically, she was thinking of the friendship that she new had been formed between them and the warm comfort that came with it.

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_**I hope you liked it, Freaky. This idea may be a little rough and needs to be redone, but I hope you liked your birthday present. I think Chala and Cheresea were kept in character, but then again I could be absolutely wrong. Lol. Tell me if you want me to change it and I promise I will. Happy Birthday!**_

**_I hope everyone else still likes it and hopefully I again avoided bring shame to Freaky's great stories!_**


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